Janelia's Inspiring Journey: From Athlete to Acclaimed Actress and Mom

Thank you so much and thank you for having me here. It's always exciting to step step out from your comfort zone and

come into a world that you're so open to and so encouraged to learn every day about but I don't think you are

uncomfortable anymore because you know going by the chat that you had a good actor

absolutely so do you really uh keep yourself so fit and in such great health?

No. So honestly um fitness is a big deal right now and uh I think it should be the most important part of your life. It

should be not the most important. I think it should be an element of your life somewhere or the other. I uh

honestly didn't like it at all initially, but I didn't like going to a gym. I was always someone who was into

sports. In fact, I'm very proud to say that um in my when I was growing up, I was one of the only girls that played

hockey, that played basketball, that was a state level, you know, athlete, national level football player. A round

of applause on that. No, I mean, actually, I wanted to say that. Yeah. No, I mean what I I mean not

to praise myself but what I was trying to say is that in a in a time and place where girls weren't encouraged to do

sport, my parents totally and completely encouraged me. U and hence I was very genetically blessed. I never put on

weight because I did all these things. Um having said that once I became a mom I realized that the weight just never

goes. It just stays there. And I'm sure a lot of the ladies here will agree with me that it's tougher than when you were

much younger and you could eat anything and be anything. And it's a it's a little change that you do for yourself.

Uh I've always related to u your food and your exercise regime as part of your investment in yourself. So apart from it

being really important, it's the biggest investment that you can put into yourself because I mean one day of not

working out and I can feel myself going you know lower in energy strangely as to what one would think that no you get

really tired you I don't I don't think any of that happens. So having said that in co I realized that it was important

to pick up and do this even though I didn't like it initially but do this as something that is your medicine for or

your investment into oneself. Correct. So um so I did start this uh m much after co I mean during co I started it

and today it's just part of my life. So I think it's uh evolving every day as a person. But I do think fitness helps you

think better. It helps you feel better and uh it just overall changes your approach to life in general which you

which you totally and completely neglect on a regular day because you're so busy, you're a mom, you have your business

happening, you have your acting happening, you have those thousand commitments. But I always say that um

you know either you get sick or sickness will find you. So find find that route to invest in yourself. I I think you

said that very very well and the reason why I asked this question is I am a fitness enthusiast myself and now we go

to more uh to matters which matter to the people here and I'm sure they're all willing to and very very curious to know

about your you know your journey as an actor how it started and if you could share something on on that. Um yeah so

I'd love to share my journey. I hope I don't bore you guys but I'd love to share my journey. Acting was never a an

um was never a career option for me honestly. Um I wouldn't relate to myself that way. I came from a very middle

class home. There were no actors. There was nobody from the industry at all in it. Um I happened to be sitting outside

my college and um you know when you're young they come to colleges and they pick up these uh kids to be part of the

background. So all my friends were going and I was very excited to go because I was like you know we're all going to

hang for the day and we landed up going there and uh the girl who was opposite the main actor had not turned up. So

they came to me and they asked me to come there and be the second lead you know opposite the girl. I was so upset.

I was like no I want to be in the crowd. I want to be part of the crowd. Like that's what I came here to do. Have a

good day. But anyways I went there. That ad never really happened eventually and it was all a lull. But at that at that

ad shoot something went right and I started getting these calls uh from a lot of people randomly like there was no

kind of I didn't have like a portfolio done. I didn't have like you know things put into place. Um my aunt always saw me

as someone who could be part of uh modeling in the industry. I never saw myself at all. My parents thought she

was crazy. Absolutely. Because my parents were like, "Don't spoil our child." Then the industry was a big bad

word, the film industry, you know. But having said that, um, so she took out these pictures literally of me cutting a

cake and stuff like that. And she was like, I think that you have potential. And then what I the next thing I know is

that I was selected for an ad with Mr. Bachan, which was a big deal. I mean and it'll always be the biggest deal of my

career. Um and from there I it just never stopped it. From there for my first ad itself I started getting movie

offers from movie offers I started getting better movie offers then I had a break for 10 years and I thought and

like everyone says you know once an actor takes that break you're not coming back but I got back on screen and um I'm

very grateful that Amir Khan Productions has uh you know signed me on. Um so I think my journey has been a totally

unplanned one but I think if I've done anything right I've given it my 100%. Um so uh it has earned some fruits

somewhere and um and and I am who I am today. uh all through the love all through u a zillion blessings and I

think most importantly uh when when you see my characters or when you um relate to me as an actor the biggest the

biggest blessing that I have is that I'm taken back home to two families and to their homes which I think as an actor

more than your thousand um awards and the biggest films that you get you are part of people's homes so 10 years down

the line people in the south and people here still remember me as Adati or still remember me as Hassani then I think

there's no nothing more rewarding than that we all wait for validation right we all wait that if you get an award you've

validated the fact that you've done well but we forget to realize and open our eyes to see that after 15 years Janon

has been 15 years ago people still relate to you as adi I mean what more validation do you need in that zone so

that's been pretty much my journey A round of applause. Of course, there's no need to ask for it now. So, Janelia,

you also spoke about the break that you took and it would be great if you could dwell a little more on it. You know, how

it happened, why it happened and then consequently you came back also uh all of that and how has this journey been to

being a mother, married life, all of that. So I got married in 2012 and um you know

like everyone in every every individual after a particular time in your life you feel everything is monotonous and you

you're not reinventing yourself. I felt my chance to just take a break was at at the time that I got married because I

wanted to give my 100% to the family that I was in. So prior to that I worked 365 days. I worked in four industries

you know um so while people thought that I was just doing you know Bollywood films I was doing films all over the

south which I mean today the south is a big deal then people didn't know that the that you know such big films I've

been part of Rajamali absolutely and a round of applause for that Janelia has worked in four different film industries

and very very versatile as an actor yes yeah so um so that was my part of you know doing work and honestly I missed

all birthdays. I missed uh you know every time my family got together I was hardly around because I was working

because of the fact that I was not just stationary at one place I had to travel to four different industries. So when I

got married I decided to take a break. Um I thought it would be a year a year and a half but then I um got my babies

and I didn't understand how to multitask. you know, I was like, I could either be this or I could be that. Uh, I

don't think I was 100% happy in that zone because I thought there was so much more to me to give also. Um, and I

thought I was very happy and I thought I was doing a great job. But Ret saw me and he said, "You need to get back to

the screen because that's what you love." I was like, "I can't do this and that." He said, "You can do everything.

You're a mom and you'll figure it out." And I kept saying, "Yeah, it's so easy for him to talk. I have to do all this

hard work, you know, but he kept pushing me through this period that I was off to a point when he decided to direct. He

said, you have to act in it. Now, I couldn't say no because I was like, so he said, you'll figure it out. And I

started acting back again with that film. And I realized I figured it out. And I realized I was a much happier mom.

I was a much happier person at home because I was doing what I loved the most. I was doing something that was

mine versus you know when you when when we become moms we forget the fact that we are individuals as well and we can do

a lot you know uh I mean of course handling a home is handling the biggest thing ever but I also think we do it

thinking that it's our duty to do it and we don't know how to do better but if you set and strategize and figure out

your life I feel that you can do both and you should do both because there's there's an element of you that you're

losing out on uh when you don't put yourself back into what you're meant to do. And that's why I came back to films.

I started uh you know doing films again. I don't do it as often as I used to but that's fine. That's a small small thing

small adjustment that you make in your life and a happy one too. Um and today I'm back to doing I I'm I'm doing a film

in Hindi. I'm doing one I did a film in Marathi which was uh which was wildly acclaimed uh and also a new industry

that I was part of. Um and then there's also I'm doing a south film again. So it's it's the whole system. It's the

whole cycle starting back again. Um I'm very excited with my new phase into films. I've seen a lot change. I've seen

a lot evolve. um and all in a good way and again say that you are one of the luckiest people on the planet. Why I'm

saying that is because and a round of applause for that her husband is the one who pushed her back into acting.

Generally we also come across these stories and there is a perception that once women get married there is a

resistant resistance to them to continue to working in this industry. It's been the exact opposite with you. So again,

you're very very lucky. Yes, I am. Or maybe I'm just amazing. [Music]